Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	child_n	heart_n	parent_n	1,710	5	8.3614	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50400	The beauty and order of the creation together with natural and allegorical meditations on the six dayes works of the creation : with the addition of two compendious discourses : I. of the creation of man after the image of God, II. of the creation of angels, with a description of their several properties / by ... Mr. John Maynard ... ; published by William Gearing ...	Maynard, John, 1600-1665.; Gearing, William.	1668 (1668)	Wing M1448; ESTC R14885	107,977	226

food so should a Christian labour out of the providence love and promise of God to gather matter of chearfulness and contentedness even then when he seeth no special means for supply in outward things Moreover as the Bird singeth although she be in the Cage so a Christian must rejoice in his afflictions and like Paul and Silas sing in fetters as it is reported of the Nightingale that she setteth her breast against a thorn to keep her waking that she may not through sleep cease to sing so a Christian must even enforce himself to spiritual watchfulness and use special means to keep his heart awake that he may shew forth and sing out the praises of God even in the night that is at such times when others sleep in sin and care not to honour the Lord. Finally as a bird preferreth her liberty in the Wood or Hedge before a dwelling in a princes pallace where she hath her meat continually brought unto her so a Christian preferreth that spiritual liberty whereby his heart is freed from the fetters of sinful lusts above the greatest earthly estate in the world with thraldome under sin and want of an enlarged spirit SECT 2. WE might also speak of many particulars among the Birds 1. The Stork may teach children their duty toward their parents of which it is said that as the old nourisheth her young so the young nourish the old again a lesson which many children have not yet learned though this unreasonable Creature teach it So the Turtle may teach conjugal love between Husband and Wife these as it is reported being so so constant and entire unto each other The Pellican may teach special love of Parents toward their children who is said to feed her young wi●h her own blood especially it may make us with all thankfulness and holy admiration to bless Christ Jesus for his unspeakable love to us who gave his body to be meat indeed and shed his blood to be drink indeed whereby we might be fed and live for ever The Ostrich in leaving her eggs in the sand and not considering that the foot may crush them is an image of careless unnatural parents who use no Christian providence in behalf of their children 2. As those Birds of Prey and ravenous fouls make use of that advantage which they have in height and strength to seize upon divers things here below so many oppressours and greedy worldlings abuse that advantage which they have in wealth and power to seize upon the estates of others that are below them and not able to make resistance And as those ravenous Birds are of all other the most hateful so these greedy and over-bearing oppressours do carry the curse and de●estation of the Country with them Again as some Birds hate the light so some men in love to the works of darkness cannot endure the light that shineth in the Ministry of the word or in the conversations of the Godly 3. Consider also that as the fouls do gather and cherish their young ones under their wings so the Lord doth shrowd his children under the wings of his protection and as the little ones are thereby safe against the ravenous Birds so the Godly are thus sheltered against cruel enemies and manifold dangers As the young ones are cherished and refreshed by this means with a kindly warmth so the godly are wonderfully refreshed in the bosome of Gods love with a lively and most comfortable warmth from the presence and favour of God And as the young ones after a storm are apt to stray abroad and play about in the sun again untill the Kite be ready to seize upon them so the Children of God in time of prosperity are apt to withdraw themselves from that near communion with God untill that Prince of the air flying all about and seeking his Prey do fall upon them with some dangerous temptation 4. As the Birds are affrighted and driven away from the corn when one of them is killed and hanged up there for terror to the rest So should men learn by others punishments to abstain from things forbidden Gods judgments upon many swearers drunkards oppressours adulterers scoffers at godliness railers persecuters unnatural children c. should skare away others from those sins which have proved so deadly and dangerous to the former When Herods carkass was eaten up with worms it was a fair warning to all the enemies of Gods Word and Ministers such as Herod was And He that not long since hanged himself in this parish after he had continued long in a course of railing against the Minister that then was may justly be thought to be hanged up by the special providence of God as a dreadful skare-crow to all other tongues set on fire of hell in the like kind 5. Again we may here think of Solomons comparison as a Bird when it is in hand may soon make an escape and never be seen again So Riches get themselves wings saith he Riches vanish away many times like a Bird in the air and the owner can never catch them nor come near them again if the father hold fast the son lets them fly or if the son be as sure of his hand as the father yet the next heir letteth go his hold or the Lord himself by some special judgment or other cutteth the string and they are gone especially when men get wealth as ●oulers catch Birds with snares nets or ginns by unlawful means or too much niggardly sparing This should teach us not to make much account of these things much less to purchase them with the loss of everlasting life 6. In a word we may here consider the wonderful wisdom and excellency of the Lord in the abundant variety of these winged Creatures in the beauty of many of them in the swiftness of many and most of them the variety of kinds of colours of quantity of quality And to those we must refer those lesser sorts of creatures viz. Bees Flies Wasps Hornets Locusts Caterpillers yea the least Gnats or whatsoever flieth in the air all which might yeild us much matter of meditation and admiration Gloriously doth the wisdom and goodness of God appear in the little Bees which are said to have their King whom they follow and obey which out of many flowers suck that which they digest into honey and set it into such a frame of the Comb as no wit of man can make the like This honey as sweet as it is yet every child of God must get such a spiritual relish that like David he may find the word of God more sweet than it And as the honey is both pleasant and nourishing 〈◊〉 is the word to that soul which hath a spiritual appetite But in one respect the Bee may put thee in mind of the nature of sin which carrieth honey in the Mouth but a sting in the tail therefore we should hereby learn not to be deceived with the seeming sweetness which sin bringeth at the